As shown in FIG. 6, conventional door opening and closing mechanisms are generally structured to have a front panel 2 provided in front of a main unit 1 of an audio device or like equipment, a disc unit panel 3 provided in front of that portion of the front panel 2 behind which a disc playing apparatus is built-in, an opening on that part of the front panel 2 which is in front of the disc playing apparatus for the purpose of loading, unloading or exchanging discs to and from a disc storage unit where a plurality of discs are to be stored, and a mechanism to open and close, as a door, the disc unit panel 3, a transparent window 4, and the like, that might cover the opening. A power button 8 is also provided on the main unit 1.
FIG. 7 is a side cross sectional view of an essential part of an example of a conventional door opening and closing mechanism, in which a pivot 3a is provided to allow a disc unit panel 3 having a window 4 to be opened or closed as a door.
The conventional mechanism comprises a stay 6, a pivot 3b provided on the disc unit panel 3, a stay fixing member 5 provided on the front panel 2, a guide pin 5a, and a guide 6a provided on the stay 6 as an open groove. In accordance with such a mechanism, the disc unit panel 3 opens in engagement with the guide pin 5a and, when open, the disc unit panel 3 is supported by the end portion of the guide 6a and the guide pin 5a on the stay fixing member 5.
However, in a door opening and closing mechanism in which the size of the disc unit panel 3 is about the same as that of the portion of the front panel 2 in front of the disc unit, the amount of projection of the disc unit panel 3 from the front panel 2 becomes large when opened, requiring a holding strength large enough to hold the projected disc unit panel 3 at a certain angle, and further requiring the stay 6 between the disc unit panel 3 and the front panel 2. Also, as the disc unit panel 3 greatly projects forward, free space is required in the front of the main unit 1 thus limiting the place of use or the use of the space in front of the audio equipment.